Farm Fortnight: White Sox start mixing in draft picks

While the length of a 100-loss White Sox season is always distinctly felt, the arrival of the minor league homestretch is a little surprising.

It's partially because minor league affiliates can't possibly generate the same kind of contempt as a major league roster, but more because the seasons end at different times. The ACL White Sox are already done, the DSL White Sox wrap up by the publication of the next Farm Fortnight, and then the full-season affiliates wrap up a week at a time in September. Charlotte still has a lot of season left; Kannapolis, not so much.

Since every team was able to log two full series now that the All-Star break is in the rear-view mirror, we're able to bring back...

Fortnight's Finest

Position player: Caleb Bonemer. Every time it looks like he might be wearing down over the course of his first professional season, he punches his way out of the corner and encourages further top-100 heat. Bonemer hit .444/.533/.694 with 16 hits and eight walks over 10 games with Kannapolis. He wasn't included in the most recent wave of promotions to Winston-Salem, but it's at the point where you should scan the transactions for his name.

Pitcher: Riley Gowens. The name-brand competition is dropping off the radar, as the White Sox are restricting numerous arms to a few innings per start after setting career highs in workload. Gowens, who threw 122 innings in 2024, is not one of those pitchers, and he's thriving with the long leash. He allowed just one total run over three starts against Montgomery and Rocket City the last two weeks (18 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 10 K, 1 HR).

I was able to drop in on Charlotte and Birmingham over the course of this Fortnight, as both played series at the locations geographically closest to me. Now it's Winston-Salem's turn, as the Dash start a series against Bowling Green this week, and they'll have a new draft pick to play with.

Charlotte Knights

• Last two series: 2-4 @Nashville; 2-4 vs. Rochester
• Record: 51-56 (15-17 in second half)
• Next two series: @Syracuse, vs. Memphis
• Individual stats

When you're the Charlotte Knights, you can't quit high-scoring games cold turkey. Relapses are going to happen, and it's a matter containing them to weeks instead of months.

For instance, the Knights opened the series in Nashville allowing 24 runs in the first two games, but recovered to notch two consecutive shutouts, and allowed a non-noteworthy 32 runs over the six-game set against the Sounds.

A home series against Rochester was a different matter. That series opened with a 16-1 loss to the Red Wings, after which they allowed 13, 5, 3, 9 and 12 runs. They ended being outscored 58-35 on the week.

They are now down to zero pitchers named Noah S., because Schultz is still on the injured list with a knee problem, and Syndergaard was released due to toastiness. Owen White returns to the Charlotte rotation, and they received further fortification from the promotion of Jacob Gonzalez, the returns of Tim Elko and Will Robertson, and two pitchers in the Adrian Houser trade to help them along. If you missed it, I put together a notebook on what I saw and heard during the Nashville series, since they were playing in my backyard and all.

Position Players

*Bryan Ramos apparently needed the All-Star break. Since play resumed on July 18, he's hitting .304/.365/.607. He's also made a couple of starts in left field over the last month, although Miguel Vargas' oblique injury alleviated any playing time crunch with Curtis Mead. The strikeouts are elevated, but otherwise he's putting himself in position for a late-season cameo, since the Sox are already using up an option year anyway.

*Tim Elko returned from his knee injury and joined the Rochester series in progress. He wasted no time getting up to speed, homering in the first two games and finishing the four games he played 7-for-18 with seven strikeouts while slugging .778.

*Jacob Gonzalez became the first Birmingham Baron hitter to be promoted to Charlotte, which isn't great since it happened in late July. His task at hand is showing that the Southern League is no place for a hitter like him to distinguish himself. Through six games with the Knights, he's 5-for-22 with three doubles, three walks and four strikeouts.

*Will Robertson briefly returned to Chicago after the Austin Slater trade because he was on the 40-man roster, but once the dust settled from the trade deadline and the Sox needed right-handedness from their extra outfielder, they optioned Robertson to Charlotte and called upon Corey Julks instead. Robertson is hitting .311/.350/.667 over 10 games with the Knights.

*Dru Baker once again had an OK couple of series, but the pressure's off of him generating any sort of return, for Matt Thaiss cleared waivers on Monday after the Rays designated him for assignment.

Pitchers

*Noah Schultz was expected to miss 3-4 weeks with his knee injury after being scratched on July 19, so perhaps there will be an update on him a fortnight from now.

*Jairo Iriarte was one of the pitchers battered and bloodied during the Rochester series, giving up four runs on four hits (two homers) in his only appearance on July 29.

*Peyton Pallette pitched three times during the Rochester series, and while he suffered a little bit of damage -- he allowed a single run in two of those games -- he avoided any disasters.

*Wikelman González gave up his first homer of the season during the Nashville series -- a 10th-inning walk-off job by Bobby Dalbec after González threw a scoreless ninth. He also didn't escape Rochester unscathed, allowing three runs over 3⅓ innings over two appearances.

*Ben Peoples made his org debut on Saturday, throwing 1⅓ scoreless innings against the Red Wings with a walk, strikeout and HBP. Duncan Davitt, the other Rays pitching prospect in the return for Adrian Houser, will make his Charlotte debut Tuesday night.

Birmingham Barons

• Last two series: 5-1 vs. Montgomery; 5-1 @Rocket City
• Record: 62-40 (24-9 in second half)
• Next two series: vs. Chattanooga, @Pensacola
• Individual stats

The unstoppable Birmingham Barons have won 19 of their last 21 games, and now lead the Knoxville Smokies by 7½ games in the Southern League North standings. Their formula remains unchanged: all low-scoring games, all the time. They've lowered their team ERA to 2.82, closing the gap for the lowest team mark in all of Minor League Baseball:

1. Hudson Valley Renegades (A+), 2.77
2. Birmingham Barons (AA), 2.82
3. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (AA), 2.99

It seems like every starter they call up is able to throw at least four scoreless innings at the drop of the hat -- Connor McCullough just came back from a lengthy rehab stint and did just that -- but they're also getting great relief work from guys like Zach Franklin (1.71 ERA), and even less heralded arms like Garrett Schoenle (1.08 ERA over 25 innings) and Mark McLaughlin (one earned run in 14 innings).

I made an overnight trip to Huntsville to see how the Barons were doing what they're doing, and put together a notebook on Monday:

Position Players

*Braden Montgomery survived his first week at Double-A, overcoming a whiff-laden start to the series in Rocket City by finishing 6-for-25 with his first Double-A homer, two walks and 12 strikeouts. Regions Field awaits.

*Sam Antonacci was held hitless in three of the last four games of the series against the Trash Pandas. In the exception, he reached base four times and drove in four. His numbers could absorb the cooldown, as he's still hitting .327/.484/.388 in 15 games as a Baron.

*Wilfred Veras hasn't drawn a walk in 13 games, so he's still tied for his career high with 34, which he set last year. If only there were more such signs of his past self, as he had a quiet pair of series (.225/.238/.275 over 10 games).

*DJ Gladney returned to the lineup during the Montgomery series after missing more than three weeks after an HBP. He hasn’t played since taking a fastball to his right forearm/elbow area on July 3. He went 6-for-20 with a double over five games. With Jacob Burke now in Winston-Salem, Guillermo Quiroz called him the best defensive center fielder on the roster, for what it's worth.

*William Bergolla has all the shortstop playing time to himself, now that Jacob Gonzalez is in Charlotte. He remains as steady as ever on both sides of the ball, racking up 15 hits -- all singles -- with more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) while playing all 12 games against Montgomery and Rocket City. He's batting .333 over his last 30 games.

*Rikuu Nishida bookended his Rocket City series with a pair of 0-for-5 performances. In the three games in between, he reached base 12 times. He's hitting .316/.452/.337 over 26 games since the start of July, and nobody knows what to do with that.

*Ryan Galanie is riding a seven-game hitting streak, and the extra-base pop has resurfaced as well, as he's 11-for-30 with a homer and five doubles over this stretch.

Pitchers

*Hagen Smith was on track for his best start of the year before his control unraveled on him in the fifth inning his last time out against Rocket City. The 4⅓ innings he threw represents the most he's logged since returning from his layoff. The hope is that this represents progress, and not just his most creative way of walking 16 percent of the batters he faces on a given night.

*Riley Gowens is rolling, as he's allowed just two runs on nine hits and nine walks over his last 23 innings, striking out 23. He was allowed to complete seven innings against Rocket City, so he may be allowed to overtake Shane Murphy for the team lead in innings if he keeps it up.

*Tanner McDougal will be limited to three-inning starts the rest of the way, as he just set a new career high for innings in a season. He absorbed his first thumping by allowing four runs over 2⅓ laborious innings to Montgomery, but when he returned with three shutout frames against Rocket City, it became apparent that a hard cap was in place.

*Tyler Schweitzer still has yet to allow his first earned run for Birmingham this year, as he's up to 20 ⅔ innings with an ERA that's still spotless (20.2 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 8 BB, 25 K). He's been piggybacking off McDougal.

*Shane Murphy was named the organization's Pitcher of the Month, as he's allowed just one run over his last three starts (15 innings). He's limited to five innings a start for the rest of the season, and he's reaching that line with ease, as he's averaging just 12.7 pitches per inning during this stretch.

Winston-Salem Dash

• Last two series: 3-2 @Aberdeen; 3-3 vs. Greenville
• Record: 39-61 (14-21 in second half)
• Next two series: @Bowling Green, vs. Asheville
• Individual stats

The Winston-Salem Dash had their first winning Fortnight, and now they'll be rewarded with the addition of the White Sox's most recent third-round pick, Georgia Tech shortstop Kyle Lodise, who joins a Winston infield that's not uninteresting, as Ryan Burrowes and Lyle Miller-Green recently joined the mix alongside Jeral Perez, who's been there the whole time.

The pitching staff also benefited from the return of Lucas Gordon, who is building back up in High-A after tweaking his back in his Double-A debut. There's a little more room on both sides of the roster to accommodate further promotions as players are ready to advance out of Arizona.

Position Players

*Jeral Perez continues to make contact. Over the course of July (and three games in August), he's struck out just 12.2 percent of the time, which is less than half of the K rate he carried into the month (25.2). A .225 BABIP makes it hard to see the benefits.

*Samuel Zavala had a big 4-for-4, two-double game during the Greenville series on Thursday, one of those spasms of production around much quieter surroundings (.224/.369/.306 over his last 30 games).

*Ryan Burrowes enters the fresh series in need of a fresh start, as he's hitless in his last four games (0-for-10 with a walk, six strikeouts and two HBPs). He's had some moments in his first two series with the Dash, though, including a two-double, four-RBI game against Aberdeen on July 25, and a three-hit game against Greenville on Wednesday.

*Lyle Miller-Green went 34 games without homering then ripped a 114-mph line solo shot that cleared the left field berm at Truist Stadium. Good to know that's still in there, as it's otherwise been a quiet start to his High-A career (.161/.366/.323 over 41 PA).

*T.J. McCants was moved to the Development List among the series of roster moves Tuesday, so we'll see if he regains priority status as the playing time shakes out. He's still looking for his first walk and first stolen base in High-A after 11 games with the Dash. His Winston-Salem OBP is lower than his average (.200/.195/.250) thanks to a sac fly.

Pitchers

*Christian Oppor has scuffled over his last two outings, failing to make it out of the first over 39 pitches against Aberdeen, then giving up a pair of runs over 3 ⅓ innings against Greenville. He did rediscover his strikeout stuff against the Drive, and 6 K's helped lessen the toll of traffic.

*Lucas Gordon returned to action in High-A after missing a month following a dynamite debut in Birmingham on June 20. He gave up a pair of runs over 1 ⅔ innings against Aberdeen, but recovered to throw three scoreless against Greenville.

*Seth Keener returned to Winston-Salem for the Aberdeen series, but he's now pitching out of the bullpen after posting a 7.77 ERA over 66 innings between High-A and Low-A. The early relief returns haven't been scintillating (4 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP).

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

• Last two series: 2-4 @Carolina; 4-2 vs. Delmarva
• Record: 49-53 (17-19 in second half)
• Next two series: @Salem, vs. Augusta
• Individual stats

While the Dash received the top White Sox draft pick in the initial assignments from the 2025 class, the Cannon Ballers added three newly minted professionals to the mix this week, all on the position-player side of the roster. Florida shortstop Colby Shelton (sixth round), Rhode Island third baseman Anthony DePino (seventh) and Mercer outfielder Ely Brown (12th) all join the fray.

It's worth monitoring how Chad Pinder handles the playing time in the infield, as Shelton and DePino play the two positions that Caleb Bonemer has handled. Considering they drafted four shortstops with their 20 picks last month, logjams at premium positions are technically part of the plan now.

Position Players

*Caleb Bonemer entered the Carolina series in a 1-for-22 slump that extended to 1-for-25 after the opener against the Mudcats. He's since rocketed out of the rut, going 16-for-33 with a homer, six doubles and seven walks to just four strikeouts. Even when he's struggling, it's not due to losing his grip on the strike zone, so ending the season in Winston-Salem doesn't seem like an overly aggressive idea.

*Javier Mogollón missed all of July with a hamstring strain.

*Ronny Hernandez went the wrong direction to close out his July and open August, going 4-for-29 with nine strikeouts and just one extra-base hit (a double) across the Carolina and Delmarva series.

*George Wolkow keeps finding creative ways to end up around a .650 OPS. This version looked like the classic version, as he hit .224/.269/.388 with a homer, five doubles and 17 strikeouts over 52 plate appearances. It was weird that he had just three doubles over his first 76 games, and his extra-base hit columns have regained some sense of proportion.

*Abraham Nuñez is the Kannapolis Zavala, in the senes that he has some big moments that make you think something's clicking, and then you see that's he's still hovering around .200. This fortnight's big moment was a grand slam against Delmarva on Saturday.

*Adrian Gíl made the jump from the ACL to Kannapolis after the conclusion of the short season, and he's 6-for-26 with two doubles, two walks and 10 strikeouts over his first eight games in Low-A. He replaced Miller-Green as the Cannon Ballers' primary first baseman, although he did make a brief appearance behind the plate.

Pitchers

*Luis Reyes is another starter whose workload is being limited to three innings an outing, as he blasted past his career high in innings (42⅓) some time ago.

*Mathias LaCombe pitched his way through the ACL and into full-season ball. He pitched three hitless, scoreless innings against Carolina on July 25, showing good life on his fastball and inconsistent secondaries.

*Pierce George has now strung together seven scoreless outings, the last four of which have been hitless as well. He's cutting his ERA by a run every two weeks.

*Blake Shepardson only pitched once over the last two weeks, although it was two scoreless, ordinary-looking innings against Carolina on July 26.

ACL White Sox

• Record: 33-27
• Individual stats

The ACL White Sox won both remaining games that weren't covered in the last Fortnight, but although they tied for the lead in the standings, they missed the ACL playoffs due to the tiebreaker. We'll recap their season with the rest of them, because there could be a few players who end up on the Kannapolis roster between now and the end of the season.

Position Players

Jurdrick Profar ended his season on a high note, going 3-for-4 with a homer on the last day of the season to close out a July that was his most successful month yet. Christian Gonzalez was a nice little success story at the lowest rungs of the minors, while Alexander Albertus was just placed on the 60-day injured list.

Pitchers

The White Sox promoted the most noteworthy pitchers before the end of the season, and only one of them (Mathias LaCombe) is still around, because Noah Syndergaard was cut.

DSL White Sox

• Record: 20-22
• Individual stats

With two weeks left in the DSL White Sox's season, they're not likely to close the seven-game gap with the DSL Giants Orange squad, especially with two other teams in the way. Their offense remains one of five in the DSL with an OBP above .400 (.405), but it's negated by a pitching staff/defense that's allowing the third-highest runs per nine innings mark in the league (8.37). If it doesn't seem that bad, it's because most games in the DSL are limited to seven innings.

After opening the season with a fairly even split in playing time behind the plate, Jose Mendoza has taken the lead among catchers. He's 12-for-30 with three doubles over the last week, so he's responding well to the increased playing time.

Eduardo Herrera bounced back to life, hitting .333/.367/.500 over his last nine games, while Alejandro Cruz, Frank Mieses and Yordani Soto have all cooled off.

Yobal Rodriguez has seen his season take a sharp nosedive after an excellent start to his professional career:

• First 7 outings: 18.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 17 K, 3 HBP
• Last 4 outings: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 16 R, 8 ER, 8 BB, 13 K, 2 HBP

He's allowing just a .290 slugging percentage, so he might be being undermined by some defense that would be dreadful even by DSL standards, it's still a helluva wrong turn. Diego Perez reversed a similar slide with a couple of scoreless outings, so maybe it's affecting the whole team.